The muddy waters of self-sufficiency in Directive 2004/38 – A Citizen’s Story

Mr L. has been living in the UK for 9 years and is married to a non-EEA citizen. In those 9, neither Mr. L nor Mrs. L has claimed benefits. In addition, he has been denied a UK residence card, on the basis that he does not have private health insurance

“Although we have lived in the country for 9 years as a couple, contributed substantially in taxes and never claimed benefits, we are unable to make proper plans for the future. Instead, we wait anxiously for the next time our fate will be decided by a powerful stranger. We cannot be sure whether my wife’s residence permit will be extended or denied on the basis of Britain’s further rebellion against basic human rights”.